Choices
by tiffnya
Summary: Willow is kidnapped, and must make a tough decision.


**Choices**

**Author: **Tiffnya

**Disclaimer: ** I don't own any of these characters yada yada yada...but I wish I owned Angel and maybe Connor:)  
**Rating: Pg-13**  
**Summary:** Dru comes to town and chaos ensues...

As Willow looked around the room she thought about all of her friends and how it would affect them if she did what Drusilla had asked her to do. The proposition Dru had given her flashed in her mind and she knew how disappointed Buffy would be especially since Willow had just perfected the spell that had been used to restore Angel's soul. Now Buffy and Angel had the perfect relationship, well as perfect as it could be when you lived on the Hellmouth, (plus Willow had made a spell so that Angel was immune to sunlight now, good thing too, cause the boy was really pale, he definitely needed a tan.) Anyway, Willow snapped back into the present and realized what she should do, she had the perfect answer. Just as she came to this conclusion, she heard the door open and struggled for the thousandth time against the chains that held her. That's when she heard Dru's singsong voice ring out towards Willow it was coming from all directions if that was possible.

"Have you been a good girl" Drusilla asked, followed by a peel of psychotic, hysterical laughter. Willow struggled once again against her chains and Drusilla descended the stairs.

As Buffy walked into the library with Angel right behind her she was really worried about Willow, she had heard rumors that Drusilla was back in town, but that couldn't be true, Buffy was positive that Dru had been killed (along with Spike) when they had tried to restore Drusilla's strength at the price of Angel's life. Buffy still wasn't exactly happy about that little incident. She saw Giles walk out of his office as Buffy and Angel sat down at the huge research table in the middle of the library. Giles was holding a book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other, he was dressed in tweed and it looked remarkably like the outfit he had wore yesterday, just wrinklier.

"What's up, Giles? I told you that sleep's not a big bad" Buffy said trying for light and failing horribly. Giles looked up at her with an almost surprised look on his face at the sight of Angel in the daytime it was something he still wasn't used to. Giles opened his mouth to say something when Xander and Cordy burst through the library doors arguing about something even though it was obvious Xander was completely on edge about Willow's disappearance.

"So how goes it all" Xander asked

"Cause last time I checked, we were at nothing with a side of zip"

Buffy would have laughed at Xander's humor any other day but today she didn't even crack a smile. Willow was missing and they had no leads, if it had been anyone but Xander with the humor she probably would have pummeled them already just to release some tension. She knew that humor was how Xander repressed and who was she to drag him into reality. Angel grabbed her hand under the table and she felt herself get that warm, fuzzy feeling he always seemed to cause in her. Then, she turned back to Giles and waited for his update. He cleared his throat and Cordelia and Xander sat down at the table and Giles started speaking.

"Well, as far as our sources can tell Drusilla is very much alive and possibly here in Sunnydale, and with Willow missing we must assume the worst being that she has been kidnapped by Drusilla" Buffy looked at Angel with fear in her eyes and he squeezed her hand under the table.

She turned back to Giles and asked "Do we have a location for her"

"Not that I know of" Giles continued"You could go down and see Willie but I don't know how much good it would do without a spot of violence"

Angel asked about going to see his contacts and Giles nodded. Angel left the room after giving Buffy a peck on the cheek and then walked out the door leaving the others to their discussion. As he walked out the door, Buffy followed him with her eyes and thought of all the things they had been through together and turned back to Giles to see what she should go and do. 

"Buffy, are you with us" Cordelia asked.

Buffy turned to Cordy almost surprised that the girl even cared enough to ask, she glanced at Cordelia, gave her a slight smile, and nodded. She was the Slayer; she couldn't give up and turned back to Giles for instructions.

Willow looked around the room, and starred at its contents, its looked kind of like a chemistry lab (with more malice in the air somehow) well that and the eye of newt and the raven feathers on the table beside her. Drusilla entered the room wearing a blood red and black corset dress, and Willow gasped at the sight of the figure behind her.   
Spike... Willow looked at him with hatred, he had kidnapped her before to get back his psycho whore vampire girlfriend or whatever she was (their relationship couldn't be healthy) and now they were back together with no hope from Willow, at least she felt good about that. Spike glanced over at Willow, the little red-headed witch was giving him a look that could have killed and it made Spike like her even more, he winked at her and she poured more venom into her look if that was possible. Willow was shaking inside, but she couldn't give them the satisfaction of knowing that. They were talking about bringing Angelus back and using her to do it; didn't they understand what kind of damage that would cause, maybe they did and that's why they were doing it but didn't they realize that Dru and Spike didn't exactly get along when Angelus was added to the equation, so why bring him forth? Apparently, Drusilla was not the only insane one.

Willow voiced these thoughts out loud and Spike morphed into vamp face and stalked forward to her; he leaned close to her and told her they could always use someone else for help, he ran his hand up Willow's arm and she shook with rage under his touch. Spike grinned and backed away and turned back into his human visage. He stalked over to where Drusilla was sitting brushing Miss Edith's hair and slapping the doll now and then for "struggling". Willow almost burst into hysterical laughter at the insanity of it all. Willow decided then that she wouldn't do the spell unless she had to. Willow told Spike this and walked towards her once more

"Is that right" Spike asked, his face only practically morphed, his fangs were showing and his eyes were a bright yellow, but he was holding back the entire transformation. Willow nodded.

"I wouldn't ever do anything for you, Captain Peroxide and definitely not to please your whore sidekick" she said with all the venom in her voice she could muster.

"Right then" Spike said. Willow watched him turn and never saw his fist coming at her; she was almost relieved to be rid of them, as the darkness closed in around her she almost smiled.

Angel sat outside the steps of his mansion with his shirt off, he had been training he had time to kill before nightfall, which was the time he had to use to visit his remaining contacts. He wasn't looking forward to it, it had been a long day, and he knew he would have to beat up on some of his contacts; they never did it the easy way. Whatever it took to find Willow. His thoughts drifted to Willow and what could have happened, then to Drusilla and what Angelus had done to her and then inevitably Buffy, his soul mate. He thought about how much they had been through; earlier that year they had given each other a break, while Angel was tormented with thoughts of her she had went out and TRIED to get over him and move on with some corn fed Iowa boy, named Riley. Angel hated him, he had never even met the guy and still he hated him, Buffy would always be his. He heard a whisper in his mind"KILL HIM" it said, Angel pushed Angelus deeper into him and went back inside to change clothes and take a shower before he had to go help get Willow back.

He walked toward the bathroom, and starting undressing and got in the shower and started humming "Mandy" as he let the water fall over him, he finished showering and put a towel around him and walked into the bedroom and headed for the closet, to pick out some clothes. Black shirt, black leather pants and black duster...standard Angel wear. Then he ran his hands through his hair with some gel and walked outside as the sun started to set.

Buffy glanced around her bedroom and thought about Willow, she was sick with worry and they still didn't have any real source to go on. They had to find Willow no telling what kind of insanity Drusilla wanted her for and if Spike was there its double the danger, zero the fun. She went over to her trunk with the false bottom where most of her good weapons were, and got out a few of her weapons, some stakes, crosses, and holy water (standard Slayer tools). She was headed out for patrol and she was hoping for a busy night to try to release some of her tension. She headed down the stairs, and yelled to her mom that she was going on patrol and went out the back door in the kitchen.

Riley waked down the street and thought about Buffy, they had never really gotten serious but they had been on a date or two that should have counted for something. He knew why she had given up on him for that Vampire, he shuddered at the thought and he remembered his favorite cow Bessie, she had been killed by vampires. He was out to kill them all now, not that he really had the skills, or brains (or anything remotely resembling brains) but if he talked a lot there was always the chance that he could make them die from boredom. Well, okay maybe if he said "Iowa born, and raised" again that would do it, yeah that would work, but that was beside the point, and anyway he couldn't quit his day job...stalking Buffy, I mean what's a man to do when he has no life and its the only girl who has ever touched him (okay that was an accident but it qualified if you were Riley) and if you had no life why not pretend to be in someone else's?

"Anyway, back to that vampire" he thought"How can I get rid of him..."

Angel walked into Willie's bar and surveyed the clientele then he walked over to the bar to question Willie. Willie was mixing a drink for a customer, when he seemed to a feel a not so friendly presence, he looked in the mirror in front of him and shook off the feeling of fear he had. He turned around and saw Angel sitting there and jumped and his eyes widened in fear. 

"What do you want" I told you I'm not in that business anymore, Angel" Willie said trying to hide the fear that was slipping into his voice; things with Angel never seemed to go well for him.

Angel glanced around at the assortment of demons in the bar, and gave Willie a look that expressed his doubt.

"Okay, what do you want? You know there's no way I can't help my friends." Angel leaned over the counter with a scowl

"Drusilla, what have you heard about her" he asked

Willie looked around anxiously, it was just after sundown, and more of the vampire crowd would be rolling in soon, and that never went well when Angel in here.

"I heard some things; some vamps were talking about their nest being taken over on Main. You could go check it out, but that's all I've heard I swear"

Angel leaned even closer, if that were possible, he could smell Willie's fear and the demon part of him reveled in this fact. "You telling me the truth, Willie" he asked, and leaned forward as if he were wiping something off of Willie's shirt and then picked him up by it, when he didn't reply.

"I told you I swear, and I meant it go check it out for yourself, no more info Angel, I told you I was out of this business, now that's the last time, Angel, hope it gets you somewhere"

Angel let Willie down easily, and started to walk away and then turned back to Willie, and decked him; Willie collapsed on the floor, and Angel walked away with a half-smile

"That never gets old" he thought and walked out of the bar and headed to his next contact.

Willow sat in her dark chamber and fought back the screams of frustration that threatened to spill forth from her. There was a glorious mélange of ingredients for the spell she was supposed to perform. Willow knew they could always try to find someone else and she didn't have the luxury of testing them but if she did it she could find a way to reverse it easier or find a way to shorten it, make it temporary; and if they found someone else to do it she couldn't risk the consequences. Forgive me guys, she thought, as she reached forward for the first ingredients to perform the spell. She saw Drusilla walk down the stairs"I knew you would do it" she said giddily. "My Angelus is coming back" she said and ran around the room with her skirts flying behind her and Willow sank deeper into her depression as she began to perform the spell.

Buffy looked around for something to fight. She was tired of this, she needed something to get in her way, something to make her anxiety go away, no, she needed Willow back. She had been working on a spell to make Angel's soul permanent for Buffy's birthday present and now she was gone and Drusilla was in town, none of this helped matters any. She looked up and saw Angel jogging towards her with a look of determination on his face, did he know where Drusilla was, did they find Willow, all these questions and a thousand more circled in her head before Angel even had time to reach her. 

He ran up to her and she grabbed him and pulled him into her arms"I feel like I haven't seen you all day" she said. He returned the sign of affection and kissed her lightly and then pulled away,

"I know where Drusilla is" he said and Buffy's eyes filled with relief

"Okay, where is she" Buffy asked. He told her and they decided to head that way, Buffy was so glad that they at least had a lead, she grabbed her bag of weapons, and they headed towards Main Street.

Buffy and Angel were talking when all of a sudden, Angel cried out in pain, a few people glanced at him and then continued on their way.

"Angel" Buffy said with fear in her voice"What's going on"

Angel looked up at her with tears in his eyes and said"Buffy" and then collapsed on the ground with a groan. Buffy leaned over him, and said"Angel" and then he turned to her"Guess again, Lover" he said and Buffy's eyes widened in fear, he pulled her forward for a rough kiss, and then morphed into his vamp visage and jumped off the ground; Buffy ran at top speed down the street towards Giles's place,

"Well, that's no fun" Angelus said running his tongue over one of his fangs, he turned back into his human disguise and then headed down the street to try and find Drusilla.

Willow sat in the floor, tears pouring from her eyes. She had just completed the ritual a little while ago, and now she had to wait and find out what was going on. She heard the sound of chaos from upstairs, and wondered what was going on, maybe Buffy and Angel are here to...no only Angelus remained right now, for now that is she hoped the adjustments she had made to the spell had the desired results. She heard the door open and heard three sets of footsteps, Spike, Dru, and...who else? She waited for their entrance trying to control her sobbing"Thatta girl" Spike said from the distance. She turned and saw Spike enter the room with Drusilla swaying insanely behind him, and behind her. The tall, vicious, and equally handsome vampire who wore her friend's face...Angelus.

"She's just so cute" Angelus said to Spike as he walked over to Willow

"What do you say, Will, wanna play" he asked, and morphed into vamp face,

"Oh, Goody" came the insane voice of Drusilla and Willow couldn't stand it anymore, she screamed.

Buffy ran into Giles house, there were tears in her eyes, and still running down her cheeks. She was out of breath, but she didn't care, she ran into Xander as he came out of the kitchen, and collapsed into his arms

"Buffy, what the hell is wrong with you, what's going on" Buffy sank to the floor, and continued crying, sobs wrecked her body, and she whispered "Angel" and continued sobbing.

After a minute, while the others stood looking at her confused, she looked up with silent tears in her eyes and running down her face"Angelus" she said"He's back, and I don't know how"

"Dear God" Giles said"I'll have to consult my books, I don't know how this could have happened" then he retreated to the kitchen and left Xander and Cordelia to comfort Buffy.

Angelus walked down Main Street, looking for the Scooby Gang, and that wannabe G.I. Joe, who had tried to steal Buffy. He was humming a song under his breath"This being immune to the sunlight thing comes in handy" he thought. Anyway, he was prepared to administer some torture and they had to keep the witch alive to make sure Buffy would come and see Drusilla, Spike and himself. Angelus would love to sire her"Now that's love" he thought with a smile, and continued down the street, singing now, _"If you go into the woods tonight..."  
_

Buffy sat on the couch, and told them the story of what had happened on Main Street, and Giles was silently flipping out and didn't know what to do, Willow gone, which was bad enough but Angelus too...

Angelus continued to walk down the street, and then he saw him, the commando, he walked over to him and Riley almost peed his pants at the sight of the large, broad shouldered, (not to mention irresistibly hot) man in leather standing in front of him.

"Vampire" Riley said"You killed Bessie" and then he rushed at Angelus. Angelus put up his hand and broke Riley's nose and elbowed him with the same hand before the boy could recover, he went down on the ground, and Angelus grabbed Riley's arm and dragged his unconscious form down the street to his mansion,

"Now this is gonna be fun" he thought and continued down the street, _"If you go into the woods tonight, you wont believe your eyes..."_

_  
_A few minutes later, Riley a little more bruised than he had been, and Angelus went into ANGEL'S mansion, he chained Riley up and a little bit later Riley came to.

"Hello, sleeping nonbeauty" Angelus said with a grin"Nice to see you again"

Riley groaned and his eyes widened in fear as Angelus collected some items for torture. Angelus reached down and grabbed some knifes and threw them at Riley, First missing just to shake him up a little bit and then aiming for his hands and feet, and Riley screamed in agony as he was pinned to the wall, and then Angelus walked forward slowly with a piece of broken glass in his hand and ripped open Riley's shirt,

"Shallow cuts" Angelus said"To keep you conscious" and he moved on to do just that. Then, Angelus walked over and grabbed a sword out of the cabinet and slit open his skin and pulled it up just below the skin, as if he were skinning a rabbit"Hmm... skinning now there's an idea" and he proceeded to do just that and Riley continued screaming.

Angelus looked at the remainder of Riley on the wall, "Well that was too easy" he thought. Now on to that slayer, he grinned and looked very much like Angel then, and walked out the door...

Buffy was headed to the place where she thought Drusilla was; they had figured out what had happened to Angel, Drusilla forced Willow to do some sort of spell, and now it was Buffy's job to get her free to reverse it. She felt like a soldier headed to battle, which in a way she was, she just hoped Angelus wasn't there, she couldn't kill her lover again. She had done that once to save the world but this was different; Willow had done this, she must have had a good reason. Maybe Dru had hypnotized her like she had Giles before to get information she wanted but Willow wouldn't do this unless there was a really good reason. She needed more backup, and Xander wasn't exactly the best reinforcement, especially with him and Cordelia arguing the whole time, when it came to battling Drusilla and possibly Spike but they had to get Willow back. She turned to Xander and Cordy,

"You ready for this" she asked. They nodded and continued down Main Street.

Giles sat in his front room with Anya, not really his choice of a research partner, and drank a glass of tea, but his thoughts weren't on the research they were on Angelus...and Jenny. He thought of all they had been through, and what they could have had, he still had dreams of her in his bed, her neck at a strange angle, and the face of her killer, Angelus and he had to see that face everyday on his alter-ego, Angel. Anya was looking through a book and for some reason rambling on about bunnies,

"Oh, do shut up." Giles said with frustration in his voice. Anya looked at him and pouted

"I'm telling Xander" she said, and continued looking through the book silently this time.

"Wow" Giles thought "How did we ever avert a apocalypse with a crack team like this" he sipped his tea and thought about Buffy and her attempts to find Willow and worried about her facing Drusilla and Spike and possibly, Angelus..."Dear God" he thought.

Buffy looked at Xander holding a crossbow on the other side of the door, and Cordy behind him with Buffy's bag of weapons. She gave the signal and all three of them rushed the door, and there was Spike and Drusilla talking abut the bulls and Spain, and all that other crap that Drusilla always rambled about and Spike turned and yelled,

"Bloody hell"

"Get a new phrase" Buffy quipped and pulled out a stake from under her coat and charged at Spike for some hand-to-hand. She was mad and didn't hold back Spike was ash in minutes, while Cordy and Xander held Drusilla off in the corner of the room, with his crossbow up and Cordy holding a stake and a crucifix, they seemed to be holding up just fine. Drusilla had collapsed on the ground mumbling about Spike, and letting out an insane noise every now and then.

Buffy moved over to Drusilla and told Xander and Cordy to find Willow and figure out how to reverse the spell, if that's what it was, that had removed Angel's soul. They obliged and Buffy stepped up to Dru, and said,

"Let go" Dru got up off the floor and charged at Buffy, and tried to claw out her eyes. Buffy reached up to grab her wrist and kneed her in the stomach, then twisted her arm and heard it break, Drusilla cried out in pain, and elbowed Buffy in the stomach, Buffy used Dru's momentum to flip and throw her in the floor. She climbed on top of Dru, with her stake in her hand.

"He will always be mine" Buffy said and Drusilla cackled and Buffy slammed the stake into her heart, she turned to dust with a poof and Buffy jumped up off the floor and dusted herself off and went to look for the others, hoping against hope, that Willow was alive and Angelus wasn't there.

Willow heard a commotion upstairs and thought she heard Buffy, but maybe she was imagining it. She was trying to remember when she had cast the 24 hour spell for Angel and hoped he hadn't done anything too evil. Just then, Xander and Cordy rushed down the stairs, and they had something to pick her locks. A little while later, Buffy ran down the stairs and hugged Willow, who was walking around trying to get rid of her aches and pains. Then, after a quick gathering of FREE magick supplies, courtesy of Drusilla and Spike they went to check on Angel because in a little bit, he would be back to normal. They walked to his mansion and found him on the steps

"Buffy" Angel said and he ran up to her and put his arms around her,

"Everything's all messed up what happened to me" They explained the situation and after that Angel confessed about Riley but no one really cared so Willow did a spell to make Riley's remains go poof.

Then, she said"Buffy, I have a surprise for you" she told Buffy to step away from Angel, and then said a few words in Latin. Then, Angel fell on the ground with a cry of pain and then after a second got back up and shook his head,

"What was that, Willow" he asked.

"Well" Willow said "When I was down there, I had a lot of time to think, and now I figured out how to make your soul permanent, Angelus is gone. So Happy Birthday, Buffy" Willow said with a huge smile on her face.

Buffy and Angel stood in silence with the others looking at them and then they all headed towards Giles place to tell him the good news.

THE END


End file.
